An email from the then-Director of the Illinois Endangered Species Board earlier this month was sudden and direct. "Funding is being eliminated" and won't be reinstated any time in the foreseeable future,” it read. The email had been sent one of her last days on the job.

If you noticed the price of eggs going up this summer - there's a reason. Several states' bird populations were hit -- hard -- by avian flu. Wild birds, captive ones, and commercial and backyard poultry. But no cases were detected in Illinois.

Five of the animals died following abdominal surgery last month. A USDA inspection report means more vets and vet technicians monitoring students, having vetinary staff and student monitor animals after operations, and doing procedures in surgery suites.

More ethanol fuel blends could soon be for sale at gas stations in Illinois after a multi-million dollar federal investment in the industry’s infrastructure. The U.S. department of Agriculture is giving the state $12 million dollars to expand access to ethanol in Illinois.